New Delhi, May 2 (IANS): Actor Adhyayan Suman stepped into Bollywood in 2008 with 'Haal-E-Dil' and went on to star in acclaimed movies like 'Raaz-The Mystery Continues' and 'Jashnn'. However, he slowed down in the middle because of "lack of opportunities".

Post 'Jashnn' in 2009, Adhyayan appeared in films such as 'Dehraadun Diary', 'Heartless', and 'Luckhnowi Ishq', among others, which failed to strike a chord with the audience, consequently affecting box-office collections.

Talking about slowing down, Adhyayan told IANS: "Why did I slow down in the middle because of a lack of opportunities? I think it is important for me to be honest with myself and to my audiences. The lack of opportunities of course otherwise if it was up to me I would be doing and seen in every other show or film.”

Now, he hopes to work with with good directors and play good characters.

“I just want to be a good working actor. For me, I am not working for the stardom aspect of it because that is the byproduct of doing good work but I want a lot of respect as an artiste, that’s what I think I am working towards,” added the actor.

Adhyayan, the son of veteran actor Shekhar Suman, got the validation he was seeking for by filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

"All my life that I have been working I have been seeking some validation," he said.

The actor feels he and his parents prayed too hard for this.

"At the end of the day the validation came directly from the best from the maestro himself Sanjay Leela Bhansali. It’s a badge of honour that I wear and it's bigger than any award I can ever imagine from him to hold my hand and tell me how he feels about my talent,” he said.

Adhyayan says it means the world to him and has given him a sense of confidence.